In July 2024, Windows 11 ushered in an important milestone: for the first time since its release in October 2021, the operating system's market share exceeded the 30% mark. According to Statcounter's latest survey results, last month, Windows 11's market share reached a record high of 30.83%, an increase of 1.08 percentage points in just one month and a year-on-year increase of 7.17 percentage points (the market share in July 2023 was 23.66%).
Just as Windows 11 is climbing, Windows 10’s market share is declining. Now, its market share is below 65%, 64.99% to be precise, a drop of 1.06 percentage points in a month. The year-on-year change is 11.15 points (71.14% in July 2023). The operating system will reach the end of its life in a year or so, so expect its market share decline to begin accelerating in a few months. However, the Extended Security Updates program and third-party services like 0patch will help the operating system survive.
The launch of Copilot+ PCs has caused quite a stir in the Windows market, but it's too early to tell whether Windows 11 computers powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon X processor can help Windows 11 gain more users. However, Qualcomm and its partners plan to launch more terminals equipped with ARM processors, including business models, and the back-to-school season is approaching, which should accelerate the popularity of Windows 11 PCs.
Although other Windows versions have long since lost support, a considerable number of users still refuse to upgrade. Among them, Windows7 ranked third with a market share of 3.04% (+0.08 percentage points). Windows 8.1 ranked fourth with a market share of 0.42% (+0.02 percentage points), and Windows XP ranked fifth with a market share of 0.38% (-0.01 percentage points).
Statcounter's reports are not 100% accurate, and only Microsoft can provide the most realistic data possible. However, the company doesn't publish any information on market segmentation, so customers and developers have to rely on third-party analytics services.